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Diamond Ring Donation Found In Salvation Army Kettle

A diamond ring donation was given to the Salvation Army, a bauble valued at roughly $3,500. Most people usually just give them the change they get from their purchase inside the store.

It is the season of giving, and an anonymous giver showed an unusual level of generosity to an organization which helps the needy. The Salvation Army is known for recycling clothes, toys, and furniture by accepting donations from people who aren’t using them and offering them at low prices to those of us who can’t afford to buy them brand new. Rings, however, are usually made for a particular finger size, so the recipient of the diamond ring donation had it appraised. It is not clear if the ring had been pawned, but it would be the most likely scenario.

A note accompanied the gift saying, “Please continue your good work caring for the needy in God’s name.”

It is believed that a lady who prefers to remain anonymous has done this several times before with different items. Over the last few years, the same main factors revealed themselves in high-value donations. The note with a similar message, the phone call telling them to check those particular kettles, and the unusually expensive gift indicate that she was behind them all.

In previous years, there have been $100 bills divided between several kettles, a diamond and sapphire ring, and a gold nugget, all with the note and the phone call. The kettle bearer who received the diamond ring donation, Lee Sternberg, stated:

“I don’t need it, but Salvation Army does. I just want to say on my behalf, it’s just incredible. I feel like crying.”

Sternberg also said that the Salvation Army changed his life, giving him a job when nobody else would. He has seen generosity on a large scale twice now.

The kettle with the gift in it had been at a Publix in Pinecrest, Florida, according Linda Payton of The Salvation Army’s Sunset Corps. Payton was the first to deduce that the same woman had been giving the expensive gifts every year. She told the local press:

“For the 4th year in a row, we had an anonymous call from a lady saying there was something special in one of our kettles. She told us approximately where it was. I took an empty kettle, went out and swapped them out, brought that one in. Sure enough, we had a surprise in there. A lovely ring.”

The diamond ring donation to the Salvation Army was a great example of how nice things do occasionally happen when you least expect it.